Friday, July 6, 2007

Justice For All

Scooter walks and Paris sits in the slammer for 3 weeks. Where is the love?

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Drake Bell to headline NEXTFEST

TEEN TOUR OF THE SUMMER:
STAR-STUDDED NEXTFEST TO VISIT 29 CITIES
ACROSS NORTH AMERICA

Aly & AJ, Corbin Bleu and Drake Bell to Headline Nextfest
With Special Guest Bianca Ryan

Tickets On Sale Beginning June 2nd

LOS ANGELES, CA – May 23, 2007 Bringing a blast of youthful energy to this summer’s tour schedule, Live Nation today announced dates for Nextfest, the hottest teen tour in recent memory. Headlined by superstars Aly & AJ, Corbin Bleu and Drake Bell, and joined by newcomer Bianca Ryan, Nextfest kicks off on July 11th at Phoenix, Arizona’s Dodge Theatre and runs through September 1st, hitting 29 cities in all. Tickets for the Live Nation produced tour go on sale nationwide beginning on Saturday, June 2nd and are available at www.livenation.com. A full list of dates is below.

Aly & AJ are readying their third Hollywood Records album, Insomniatic, for a July 10th release. With anticipation building fueled by the hit single “Potential Break Up Song,” Aly & AJ are poised to improve upon the platinum plus status of their previous album Into The Rush. The duo is already busy promoting the new album and single, as well as their upcoming MTV film, Super Sweet 16, due out July 8th, with multiple appearances scheduled on MTV and other national television shows. They also grace millions of Post’s Honeycomb cereal boxes in a national promotion. Aly & AJ are currently filming the pilot to their own MTV show, some of which will take place on this tour. Coming soon: The launch of an “Aly & AJ” book series, “Aly & AJ” Xbox and Nintendo video games, a doll series by Huckleberry Toys, apparel by FEA Merchandising, backpacks and accessories by Accessory Network, headwear by Bioworld, jewelry and hair accessories by IMT, cosmetics by Townley Girl and domestics by J Franco.

Corbin Bleu will be making the summer trek hot on the heels of the release of his own, highly anticipated album, Another Side, which came out on Hollywood Records earlier this month. Most fans will know Corbin from his starring roles in the mega-successful Disney Channel movies High School Musical and Jump In!, and the hit song "Push It To The Limit" from the Jump In! soundtrack. He will be seen next reprising the role of Chad in the highly anticipated High School Musical 2, premiering August 17th on Disney Channel.

Drake Bell, who just won the Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Award for Favorite TV Actor for the second year in a row, also began his career as a child actor, emerging on the music scene in 2005 with the independent release of his debut album, Telegraph. Gaining recognition and enormous popularity for his starring role in the hit Nickelodeon show Drake and Josh, Bell penned and recorded the show’s catchy theme song, “Found A Way,” with musical partner Michael Corcoran. In December 2006, Bell released his second album It’s Only Time on Universal Motown Records. He has just returned from visiting radio stations across the country promoting his record, drawing large crowds in every city. In the midst of promoting his album, Bell filmed the Lions Gate/Element Films movie titled College, in which he stars.

As the youngest participant in Nextfest, Bianca Ryan, just 12 years old, has not let her age get in the way of pursuing her singing career. With talents that go way above and beyond the expectations of a girl her age, Bianca won the debut season of NBC’s America’s Got Talent, which led to the release of her first, self titled, album on Columbia Records late last year.

NEXTFEST TOUR

DATE CITY VENUE

Wed Jul 11 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre

Thu Jul 12 Los Angeles, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

Fri Jul 13 Concord, CA Sleep Train Pavilion At Concord

Sat Jul 14 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center

Sun Jul 15 San Diego, CA SDSU Open Air Theatre

Wed Jul 18 TBA

Thu Jul 19 Denver, CO Coors Amphitheatre

Tue Jul 24 San Antonio, TX Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

Thu Jul 26 Austin, TX The Backyard

Fri Jul 27 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Sat Jul 28 Dallas, TX Smirnoff Music Centre

Sun Jul 29 Kansas City, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

Tue Jul 31 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center

Thu Aug 02 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center

Fri Aug 03 Hartford, CT New England Dodge Music Center

Sat Aug 04 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater

Sun Aug 05 Washington, DC Patriot Center

Mon Aug 06 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

Sat Aug 18 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre

Sun Aug 19 West Palm Beach, FL Sound Advice Amphitheatre

Tue Aug 21 Atlanta, GA Gwinnett Civic and Cultural Center

Wed Aug 22 Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek Amphitheatre

Fri Aug 24 Saratoga, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center

Sat Aug 25 Boston, MA Bank of America Pavilion

Sun Aug 26 Hershey, PA Hershey Park Stadium

Wed Aug 29 Cleveland, OH The Plain Dealer Pavilion

Thu Aug 30 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre

Fri Aug 31 Chicago, IL Charter One Pavilion

Sat Sep 01 TBA

Monday, May 28, 2007

Good-bye Rosie

The curtain fell late last week on Rosie's return to daytime TV. History will tell whether she helped or hurt the cause. Looks like The Donald is going to have to find a new foil to help his sagging ratings. "Wonald your a weal wasshole!" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Rosie you'll be missed.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Iggy Pops Again

ROLLING STONE – 3/7/07

Something about Iggy Pop brings out the beast in guitar players. On the first two Stooges albums, he drove Ron Asheton to turn his wah-wah into a flamethrower. Then, on the 1973 comeback, Raw Power, he goaded James Williamson into playing a lifetime reputation's worth of shredded-skull brain-aflame leads. Even David Bowie got the bug while producing Iggy's 1977 solo debut, The Idiot, an album prized by Bowie freaks because it's the only place you can hear him play so much guitar. (As Iggy once noted, "David plays better Angry Young Guitar than any Angry Young Guitar Player I've ever heard.") It's no surprise that none of these guitarists ever burned that way again, not without the Ig. But whatever Iggy's got, he's still got it -- on the new Stooges album, he gets Ron Asheton to make the same old wah-wah sound as brutal as ever.

Reunions are always a sketchy idea, yet the Stooges did it right, hitting the road to earn their title back one gig at a time. For the past four years, they've been blasting through universally acclaimed live shows, leaving even the snarkiest observers shaken at the band's power. But all that energy must have turned on a light bulb and made Iggy wonder what he'd been doing with his time lately. On his last solo album, Skull Ring, the Stooges played on only four songs, yet they made his regular backup band sound like hopeless twits. So it was inevitable the Stooges would hit the studio for The Weirdness. "You can't tell me this is not a suave thing to do," Iggy yelps in the opener, "Trollin'," and nobody's going to try.

The Weirdness has the feel of a quickie, banged out in a week with engineer Steve Albini. The Stooges don't fret about living up to their rep, which comes as a relief, since only a moron would expect this to touch The Stooges, Fun House or Raw Power. Instead, they keep it light; none of the twelve songs sound like they took longer than a six-pack to write. Unlike last year's New York Dolls comeback, this is a real reunion, with all three living members of the original quartet: Ron Asheton on guitar, his brother Scott on drums and the Minutemen's Mike Watt on bass in place of the late Dave Alexander. They even recruit Steve Mackay, the long-gone sax man who played the voice-of-death howls on Fun House. The only ex-Stooge missing is Williamson, who dropped out of music years ago for Silicon Valley.

Iggy squawks about his favorite topics: girls who turn him on ("Trollin' "), girls who take his money ("She Took My Money"), guys who aren't as cool as Iggy ("Idea of Fun") and drugs ("Mexican Guy"). You've heard his jokes before, especially when he tries incredibly original topics like yuppies ("Greedy Awful People") and the French ("Free and Freaky"). "ATM" is a nice, sleazy city-night fantasy, and "The Weirdness" shows off his Sinatra-on-Skid Row croon. Still, you know how reunion albums work: You listen for the playing, not for the songs, which are mediocre at best. If you heard them play "Trollin' " in between "Loose" and "I Wanna Be Your Dog," you might appreciate the chance for a bathroom break. Nobody's going to scream for any of these tunes, and the half-assed production has a kind of apologetic tone. Like all reunion albums, it's a flier for the live show, and the point is to hear the Asheton brothers bring it. Scott's drums remain the band's most overlooked strength, and Ron stomps his wah-wah pedal like he caught it keying his car. That wah-wah must have seemed like a pretty corny conceit, even (especially?) in 1969. But on The Weirdness, there's nothing too quaint about it.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Police Announce Worldwide Concert Tour

Los Angeles, CA. Monday, February 12, 2007: Following an electrifying rehearsal performance at The Whisky on Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip, The Police today confirmed their highly-anticipated concert tour will begin on May 28th in Vancouver, playing arenas, some stadiums & making some special appearances throughout North America. Some of the North American tour highlights announced include a headline performance at this year’s June 16th Bonnaroo Festival, an appearance at Boston’s historic Fenway Park on July 28th and two Madison Square Garden performances in New York City on August 1 and 3. Concert dates were also confirmed in Seattle, Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, New Orleans, St. Louis, Toronto and Montreal.

Arthur Fogel, Live Nation Chairman of Global Music, also announced that the tour will continue this fall with dates in the UK and Europe, including appearances in Holland, Germany, Italy and France with additional countries to be announced. Additional dates in Mexico, South America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are anticipated. “The anticipation and excitement to see The Police is overwhelming and I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of bringing the band to their fans worldwide,” said Mr. Fogel.

In 1977, The Police stormed the music scene by blending reggae, punk, jazz and rock. Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers created an unmistakably nuanced sound filled with evocative melodies, infectious lyrics and rock & roll swagger. The Police dominated the top of the charts and radio airwaves worldwide with five #1 albums and a succession of top 10 hit singles. In the six years they were together, The Police became one of the world's most famous bands, earning six Grammy Awards and countless fans around the globe.

The North American tour is presented by Best Buy, the leading consumer electronics retailer with nearly 1,000 retail locations in the United States and Canada. “The Police Live in Concert is one of the most anticipated musical events of this decade,” said Gary Arnold, senior vice president of entertainment for Best Buy. “We are proud to be able to help bring this event to music fans and to be able to offer our best customers a chance to experience this incredible tour.”

In the United States, members of Best Buy’s Reward Zone program will have the opportunity to access tickets prior to the general public. To qualify for the presale, participants need to be 18 years old or older and must have a current Reward Zone program membership that was activated by February 1, 2007. Presale tickets will be sold through Ticketmaster on a first come first served basis. Complete details of the Reward Zone program presale can be found at www.bestbuy.com/thepolice. Information about the Canadian concert dates can be found at www.bestbuy.ca/thepolice.

Special guest Fiction Plane will join The Police for the North American portion of the tour. Known for their high-energy live shows, this dynamic rock trio will be releasing their 2nd full length album in May. Fiction Plane are: Joe Sumner (Bass); Seton Daunt (Guitar); Pete Wilhoit (Drums). Additional support artists will be announced in the coming weeks.

A portion of the proceeds from this tour will be donated to WaterAid, an international NGO founded in 1981 and dedicated to reducing poverty by improving access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene education. Working in 17 of the world’s poorest countries, WaterAid and its partners have already helped over 10 million people gain access to water and sanitation and is committed to helping to reduce by half the proportion of people living without these basic necessities of life by 2015.

Tickets for the North American leg of The Police tour will be scaled at $225.00, $90.00 and $50.00 in most markets (plus applicable service fees) and will go on sale beginning this Saturday, February 17th in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Tickets in Boston and New York City will go on sale Tuesday, February 20th. Additional on sale dates to be announced. There will be a 4 ticket limit per person for all arena shows and a 6 ticket limit per person for the stadium events.

The Police World Tour is produced by The Next Adventure, A Live Nation Company in association with RZO Entertainment, Inc.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR ITINERARY 2007

DATE: CITY: VENUE: ON SALE DATE:

28-May Vancouver, BC GM Place Saturday, Feb. 17

06-June Seattle, WA Key Arena To Be Announced
09-June Denver, CO Pepsi Center To Be Announced
15-June Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena To Be Announced
16-June Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Festival To Be Announced
18-June Phoenix, AZ US Airways Arena To Be Announced
26-June Dallas, TX American Airlines Center To Be Announced
30-June New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena To Be Announced

02-July St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center To Be Announced
22-July Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre Saturday, Feb. 17
25-July Montreal, PQ Bell Centre Saturday, Feb. 17
28-July Boston, MA Fenway Park Tuesday, Feb. 20

01, 03-Aug New York, NY Madison Square Garden Tuesday, Feb. 20
*both shows on sale

Additional North American concert dates in Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Edmonton, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Tampa, San Francisco’s Bay Area, Minneapolis/St. Paul and the Washington/Baltimore area will be announced in the next few weeks.

Additional cities and venues to be announced soon.

For complete tour & ticket information, fan club memberships and more visit:
www.thepolicetour.com

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Nelly News

Nelly’s current single “Say It Right” was featured in the 2/1 episode of the CBS series “Shark”

Nelly has also made recent appearances on MTV’s “I’m From Rolling Stone” and Dance Life.

She makes her acting debut on CSI: NY – tomorrow 2/7 at 10pm on CBS.

Nelly will also be a guest on the “ Ellen” show’s Grammy special on 2/12/07 and she will perform “ Say it Right” and the Grammy nominated “ Promiscuous “ from her latest release “ Loose” on the ABC daytime drama “ One Life to Live’ on 2/23/07.


Nelly will be hitting the road again beginning 2/16/07 – These are European and Canadian dates:

2/16/07: Manchester UK
2/17/07: Glasgow
2/18/07: Nottingham
2/20/07: Birmingham
2/21/07: London
2/24/07: Paris
2/25/07: Duesseldorf
2/26/07: Brussels
2/28/07: Milan
3/2/07: Winterhur, Switzerland
3/5/07: Stuttgart
3/6/07: Munich
3/7/07: Vienna
3/8/07: Leipzig
3/10/07: Frankfurt
3/11/07: Hamburg
3/12/07: Berlin
3/13/07: Amsterdam
3/15/07: Amsterdam
3/16/07: Copenhagen
3/17/07: Stockholm
3/21/07: Victoria, BC, Canada
3/22/07: Vancouver BC
3/23/07: Kelowna, BC.
3/25/07: Grande Prairie, AB
3/26/07: Edmonton , AB
3/27/07: Calgary
4/4/07: Toronto, ON
4/5/07: Montreal, QC
4/6/07: Ottawa